They were entrenched in picquets of six men but inevitably there was a small gap where the line crossed the Holspruit. This stream, like all the rivers and streams in the vicinity, has high banks, something of a barrier to the easy passage of horses and vehicles. The Boer multitude left Brakfontein once it was dark and retraced their steps of that afternoon along the valley of the Cornelis River. The commandos led the way followed by the crowd of carts and spiders and the herds of cattle and horses. They arrived at the Holspruit at midnight. De Wet and Steyn and his mule wagon crossed over at a ford. The commandos skirted the road to the east. The three commandos would have constituted a force of seven hundred men and they were mostly veteran soldiers. They advanced in two groups, one quietly up the bed of the Holspruit.